PROMPTS
by DistractionCake
Summary: Summary: Two years ago I wrote a bunch of short {AU} ficlects over @ my Tumblr based on asks I was sent. Finally felt like compiling them all over here. For those of you who have never read them, and those who might be rediscovering them, hope you enjoy! xx
1. emily & alison

**AN: Hope you all enjoy :)**

* * *

 **"things you said when you thought I was asleep" + one of your PLL ships**

 **Emily/Alison**

"I love you."

The line has gone quiet. It's been quiet for at least 10 minutes. Alison looks at the alarm clock on her nightstand, which reads 4:05 am.

 _1:05 am in Cali_ , she thinks. Alison had been having trouble falling asleep earlier, after spending the afternoon with Charlotte. She's not sure these visits are helping yet - she's not sure if it's making anything worse.

 _Making me feel worse_ , Alison bitterly thinks. But still, she's been going and plans to do so for however long it takes.

 _It takes to what?_ , Alison wonders. She doesn't have the answer, which is probably why she needs to keep going.

It doesn't make it any easier though, which is how she found herself picking up her phone about an hour and a half ago and, without thinking about it too much, calling the one person she knew would comfort her.

She made Emily tell her all about her week, as if the daily texts they had been sharing hadn't already allowed Alison to know it all. Still, her voice was the soothing sound Alison needed.

They talk now - more than they ever have. Exchanging emails almost daily.

Emily sends questions, Alison answers.

They're not calling it a relationship, not yet - not with the distance. Still.

Alison called and Emily picked up on the second ring and spoke to her instead of going to sleep as she had been about to do.

The line's been silent for 10 minutes, leading Alison to believe the other girl has fallen asleep. The words felt right, the illusion of the moment - just two girls in a long-distance relationship calling each other despite the brutal time difference to fall asleep to each other's breathing. It's romantic and clichéd and it fills up Alison's heart in a way she's desperate to keep.

So, she repeats it once more.

"I love you."

"I heard you," the quiet, sleepy response comes.

Alison feel the blush cover her cheeks, the smile threatening to overtake her face as she lays on her side on her bed.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I guess I was just…" Emily trails off. "You said it differently this time."

"How so?" Alison asks. She's taken stock of every version of love that Emily has ever expressed for her, she shouldn't be surprised the other girl has as well, but here she is.

"Like, like you needed me to hear it."

"I do." A beat passes. "I love you, Emily."

"Am I still awake?" Emily asks.

"If you're not, I'll tell you again when you wake up."

"Promise?"

"Promise."


	2. hanna & caleb

**"things you said when you thought I was asleep" + one of your PLL ships**

 **Caleb/Hanna**

"I'm sorry. I'm- " his voice cracks, even in his hushed whisper. "I'm so sorry," Caleb Rivers says, as he lays on the air mattress looking over the silhouette of his girlfriend, Hanna Marin. He knows, deep down, that what happened to them - the Dollhouse - wasn't his fault.

It still doesn't stop him from feeling like he could have done more, _I could have done so much more_.

Those three weeks were hell. With Ashley Marin falling sick, with Alison DiLaurentis still in jail, with the entire Rosewood Police Department doing absolutely nothing. With Ezra Fitz and Toby Cavanaugh looking at him to lead them, to run point, to save their girls.

He held it together, was the strong one when they needed a shoulder to cry on. When they _all_ needed a shoulder to cry on.

He knows it doesn't compare, those weeks of not knowing, to what the girls went through down there, but still.

He's been the strong one, the one who didn't give up, the one who pushed them when they were all ready to give up and now.

Now, he needs to be _weak_.

"I'm so sorry," he cries quietly into the dark.

It's a few minutes later, when he's managed to compose himself again, that he hears a small whisper - so soft he almost misses it.

"You have nothing to be sorry for."


	3. paige & spencer ft emily & alison

**"Emison on a double date with Mchastings at a Drive In"**

 **Emily/Alison + Paige/Spencer**

"You know," Spencer says drily, "I thought I was supposed to be the neurotic one here."

Paige looks up from remaking her bed and locks eyes with her… _girlfriend_? What even is their label right now?

"Are we girlfriends?" she blurts out, unable to keep the thought in the moment it crossed her mind.

Spencer raises an eyebrow at her and moves slowly toward Paige. She reaches over and pulls away the pillow she was fluffing.

"You've made the bed three times already," Spencer comments.

Paige sighs and takes a seat on her bed.

"You're nervous," Spencer says as she sits down next to her.

"Can you blame me?" Paige asks, fiddling with her watch. She takes it off and plays with it in her hands.

"Is it because of Emily? Or because of Alison?" Spencer asks.

Paige looks up at the other woman and sees that behind the confidence in her voice, she too is worried about tonight. Paige only has one answer.

"It's not because of Emily."

"It's okay if it is."

"It's not," Paige firmly replies. If she's honest, she's a little surprised at how much she knows that to be the truth.

Her nerves are _not_ because of Emily.

It's been a year since Paige left for California and put the other girl behind her. It wasn't easy, but it was worth it. She remembers following the news of everything that went down and feeling guilty at feeling relieved she wasn't involved.

She also remembers Emily's phone call at the end of last summer, letting her know they'd be in the same state. They met up twice. Once, that first month of classes, for lunch.

They cleared the air of a few things and just talked like the friends they never had been, but hoped to be now.

(Paige also remembers glancing at Emily's ringing phone when the girl left it behind as she went to the bathroom. Seeing the multiple texts from the contact labeled _Ali,_ it didn't take a genius to figure things out.)

The second was over a Halloween party. The two had new friends in common - Emily always gravitating towards swimmers even if she wasn't one now - and had managed to enjoy spending time together.

(And if Paige took a girl home that night just to prove to herself that she could do it with Emily there, well.)

So, they're friends now.

As for she and Spencer, well she blames her parents. They went back to Rosewood over Christmas break and a just-broken-up-with-Toby Spencer wanted to spend time with someone outside of her immediate circle of friends.

Fake IDs and a few drinks later, the two were kissing under the mistletoe hanging from Spencer's barn.

(It sounds easy, but the whole ordeal was hard. Both girls feeling incredibly guilty, because neither wanted to hurt Emily. It wasn't until the day before Valentine's Day, when Emily herself got them both on the phone and told them that they deserved to be happy, that they got their shit together.)

So now, it's Spring Break and both Spencer and Alison are out here and it's the first time Paige has even _seen_ Spencer since December and it's all still so new that this _double date_ feels premature.

She knows she and Emily are at in a good place, but Alison? It's something that still makes Paige nervous beyond belief.

"She's a different person now," Spencer says.

"We'll see," Paige sighs.

Spencer reaches over and takes ahold of her watch. She takes Paige's wrist and returns it to its rightful place. Her hands linger. They look at each other once more, before Spencer moves her hands and cups her face. They share a gentle kiss.

* * *

"This is a bit excessive," Paige comments to Emily as the two stand in front of the _two_ rented pickup trucks that Alison and Spencer have gotten for this occasion.

"Well, it's more comfortable than all four of us squeezing into one, right?" Emily asks.

The look at each other, the nerves clear on both their faces.

As Spencer jumps off of what looks to be theirs, she walks over to them and takes Paige's hand. They share a soft smile.

They look over and see Emily walking toward the truck they will be using. She reaches in time to help Alison hop off.

"So chivalrous," Alison comments, her tone flirty.

"Yeah, yeah," Emily says as she blushes. Alison giggles at her.

It's all very surreal to Paige.

* * *

As the movie starts, both couples get comfortable enough. It takes exactly two minutes for Paige to learn that, _unlike_ Emily, Alison is terrified of scary movies.

Both Paige and Spencer look over to the other car and see Alison hiding herself in Emily's neck.

Paige can't help the soft chuckles that escape her mouth. Spencer squeezes her hand.

* * *

"Well, that was awful," Alison comments.

They're inside the restroom after the movie. Paige is washing her hands, while Alison stands next to the sinks. Emily and Spencer have already both exited the bathroom, going over to check on their stuff on the trucks.

"It wasn't that bad," Paige replies as she goes over to the hand dryer.

As the noise fills the room up, Alison walks over to her and speaks again.

"Thank you," she says. Even over the noise, Paige makes out the words.

(She wonders if Alison purposely timed it like that.)

Paige doesn't have to ask what the other girl is thanking her for. She merely nods.

As the two exit the bathroom, they see Emily waiting for them. She gives them both a tentative smile.

Paige glances at Alison in time to see her roll her eyes.

"We're not going to kill each other in the bathroom, Emmy," Alison says.

Emily blushes as Paige raises her eyebrows at the nickname. She's only ever heard Emily's father call her by that. It's kinda sweet, if Paige is honest, to hear Alison use it. Cheesy, but sweet.

"Anyway, these boots are killing me. Will you take me to the car, babe?" Alison continues.

Emily's blush is even more pronounced now.

Paige can't help but laugh as Alison looks at her with a playful smirk. Teasing Emily is certainly one way to try and make things more comfortable.

Still, Emily obliges and turns around. Alison climbs up onto her back for a piggyback ride.

"Princess," Emily mutters, the smile on her face taking away any sting from the comment.

"Oh, you love it," Alison replies.

Paige laughs again as the three head over to the trucks. As they approach and Paige sees Spencer sitting on one, the moonlight hitting her just right - she looks like a painting come to life - her heart starts to beat faster.

And as Spencer looks over to them and rolls her eyes, the words " _Seriously, Alison?_ " coming out of her mouth, Paige feels that things might just be alright.


	4. emily & hanna

**"HANNILY"**

 **Hanna/Emily**

"Are you sure about this?"

"For the hundredth time, Emily. Yes," Hanna answers exasperatedly as she rummages through her closet for a specific purse. "A-ha! Found it!" she exclaims.

"I guess, I still don't understand," Emily says, sitting on Hanna's bed as she plays with some fabric the other girl has thrown there in her search.

"There is a gala tonight. I'm attending. I'm allowed to bring a date. Voilà!" Hanna answers with a flourish as she turns to face the other woman. "What's confusing about it?"

"You're going to be there networking with some important people and I know absolutely nothing about fashion. I'm just wondering why you're not taking any of the models at your disposal," Emily explains.

"What color is that?" Hanna asks, gesturing toward the fabric in Emily's hands.

"Blue?" Emily asks confused.

"There! You know fashion!"

"Hanna. I'm serious," Emily sighs, throwing the fabric aside. This gala is what Hanna needs to take her design career toward the next step. Emily feels like it isn't her place to be there.

"All right, look. Yes, I have many hunks at my disposal who might know more about the fashion industry than you, but I don't want the person on my arm tonight to just be pretty. I want them to be someone who can carry a conversation with me about more than just diets and headshots," Hanna says gesturing with her hands. "I want someone who will give me undying support and make me feel confident. I want someone who I'll have fun with. I want someone I care about. I want _you_ there. Okay?" Hanna explains as she leans against her closet door. Her voice has gotten softer, more vulnerable. She looks at her feet as she waits for Emily's response.

"Dinner last week," Emily says.

"What?" Hanna asks looking up, her brows furrowed in confusion.

"The museum the week before. The baseball game the one before that. The movie nights. The calls before going to sleep. The daily texts," Emily lists as she and Hanna lock eyes.

A beat passes.

"We're dating, aren't we?" Emily asks with more confidence than she feels right now.

Hanna takes a deep breath, "…Yes," she softly responds. "I mean, we might as well be, right? We do all the couple stuff except - " she abruptly stops.

"Except?" Emily asks with a teasing smile as she slowly gets up from the bed and approaches Hanna.

Hanna narrows her eyes at the challenge. "Sex," she boldly answers.

"Do you want to be having sex?" Emily asks.

"Yes. Do you?"

A smile begins to overtake Emily's face. "Very much so."

Emily reaches forward and cups Hanna's face as she kisses her. Hanna wastes no time in deepening the kiss.

"I can't believe you tricked me into dating you," Emily mumbles between kisses.

"Like you're really bothered," Hanna shoots back as she pushes Emily on to her bed.

Emily laughs as Hanna moves to straddle her. She's right, Emily isn't exactly bothered.

And if later that night Hanna introduces her to some big name French designer as her girlfriend, well, Emily is probably whatever the complete opposite of bothered truly is.


	5. emily & alison (2)

**"things you said that i wasn't meant to hear"**

 **Emily/Alison**

"So, your friend. Where is she from?"

"Excuse me?"

Emily freezes.

She's just about to round the corner that leads to the table that she and Alison are seated at, when she hears Alison's elevated voice.

It's some fancy restaurant Ali had been dying to go try out after so many recommendations from her friends. It's a bit more high class than Emily (and her bank account) are comfortable with, but eventually, _Ali gets what Ali wants_.

(Years ago that thought would have haunted Emily, the idea that Alison always gets what she wants. In the life they live now, what Alison wants usually means to pick their dinner dates. Emily counts her blessings every day that this is what their major point of contention is.)

"Your friend? Like, where is she originally from?" their waiter, a young white guy who looks to be in his mid 20s and is wearing far too much hair gel, asks.

"Pennsylvania," Alison replies in a biting tone.

Emily, who had only literally stepped out to the bathroom two minutes ago, waits for the man's response.

"Yeah, but where is - "

"Are you seriously asking me about my girlfriend's _race_ right now?"

"Uh- I-I didn't know she was your girlfriend," the waiter stutters out. From Emily's place around the corner she can see his eyes widen as he takes a step away from the table.

"Not the point!" Alison says, her words cutting.

Emily decides to take action before things get out of hand and walks back into the restaurant's main area.

"Hey," Emily says softly as she approaches.

Alison gets up, all traces of anger gone from her face. "Babe, you know what? I think I do want something lighter. Let's go to that place on 2nd you were talking about." She stands with her purse already over her shoulder and reaches for Emily's hand.

Alison wastes no time in pulling them out of the restaurant.

As they reach the street outside, Alison begins to ramble. "You know, you really should stop letting me control where we eat. You're totally right that we're going to go broke if we keep going to these kinds of restaurants. I think we should definitely try out smaller lesser known places. That's how you really find the gems in any city, you know? So, this place on 2nd, you said one of your coworkers suggested it? It sounds really nice, I think that definitely should have been our first optio-" Alison gets cut off as Emily pulls them to a stop and kisses her.

Emily's hands cup Alison's face, as Alison's hands reach for the girl's leather jacket.

The two pull apart, but don't go far, as Emily rests her forehead against Alison's and reaches for her shaking hands.

"You heard that, didn't you?" Alison quietly asks.

"Yes. And thank you, for defending my honor. You didn't have to, but still."

"Didn't have to?" Alison asks incredulously as she pulls back to look into her girlfriend's eyes. "You're insane if you think I'm going to let that shit fly. I'm calling the manager later today and filing a complaint."

"Ali," Emily says with a small chuckle.

"Has that happened a lot to you?" Alison asks.

Emily give her a soft smile. "Rosewood didn't exactly have a lot of color."

Alison looks away. The pain in her face clear. Emily reaches to turn her head toward her again.

"It's been awhile since it's happened though. I'm sorry you had to experience it."

"I'm sorry it's ever happened to you. It's not okay."

Emily reaches forward to kiss her again. "My hero," she says with a small laugh.

"Shut up. I'm filing that complaint," Alison responds fiercely.

"Okay," Emily agrees, pulling Alison into her side, as the two continue to walk down the street. "Okay."


	6. emily & alison (3)

**"Emily asking Alison on a date after Ali broke up with Dr. Rollins"**

 **Emily/Alison**

"There," Alison says as she finishes signing her name with a flourish. She stacks all the papers into one pile and puts them in the manila folder on her coffee table. She takes the folder and hands it to Spencer.

"You do know I'm not your lawyer, right?" Spencer asks. Still, she takes the folder and sets it on her lap. She's sitting on the armchair across from Alison in the blonde's living room.

Alison gives her a look.

"Right," Spencer nods. "So, divorce then."

"Yep."

"After 3 months of marriage."

"If you have something to say, then say it Spencer," Alison sighs. She knows the decision of divorce seems almost as rash as the decision of marriage was, but unlike that one, this feels like her heart is being set free rather than tied down.

"Just wondering why. Why marry him in the first place?" Spencer asks, genuinely curious about the answer.

"Because I thought I could live off of just comfort. That that would be enough, that I didn't need love," Alison pauses. She looks down briefly before continuing, "Because I didn't deserve love."

"What's changed?"

"Elliot is a good man. I may not deserve love, but he does," Alison affirms. She looks toward one of the windows and sees the fast approaching night. "It's getting late and you have that dinner with your mom."

Spencer looks at her watch and nods to herself as she gets up. She begins to walk herself out before she stops.

"You're not always right," she says.

Alison looks at her and they lock eyes.

"Rollins deserves love. Everybody does, even you. Stop punishing yourself for things that you did when you were a kid," Spencer states confidently. "We've all forgiven you."

"Have you?" Alison asks quietly.

Spencer swallows. "Forgive yourself, Alison. You've already paid for your sins." She takes a few steps before she stops once more. She doesn't turn to face Alison this time though, before she speaks, "Yes."

Alison continues to look at Spencer's back. "Yes?"

"We've forgiven you," Spencer turns her face and gives Alison a soft smile. "All of us have."

Alison looks down and sees her wedding ring on her finger. She pulls it off and sets it on the coffee table. Alison glances back toward Spencer, only one thought on her mind, _Are you sure about that?_

* * *

"What can I get you?"

"Just water," Alison answers. The bartender nods and reaches over to hand her a bottle. He smiles at her and moves further down to serve another customer.

 _What am I doing?_ , Alison wonders as she sits at the bar of one of the most popular Gay & Lesbian bars in Philly. After Spencer had left, Alison felt like proving something to herself. _What_ exactly she wasn't sure, all she knows is she headed upstairs and traded in her cardigans and flower patterned dresses for an LBD and some fuck-me-heels and she headed out.

Intent to prove whatever she was, she was confident until the moment she hit the bar. She's nervous now, unsure of just what the hell she's hoping to accomplish here.

Suddenly, a drink - a margarita, her favorite - gets placed in front of her by another bartender.

"Um, sorry. I didn't order this," she explains.

The bartender gives her a smirk. "You didn't, but the gorgeous brunette at the end did."

Alison furrows her brows as she glances toward the end of the bar. Her heart stops at the sight.

Emily gives her a smirk as she lifts and tips her beer in the direction of Alison. Alison feels herself blush just as a nervous laugh escapes her. "Thank you," she says, shaking her head at the bartender.

"Uh-huh," the woman says with a knowing smile.

Alison reaches for it and tips her drink toward Emily in kind. Both take a drink, as Emily pulls away from the bar to walk around the crowd toward Alison. She reaches her in no time and squeezes into the space to her right, between Alison and a couple of men.

"Hello."

"Hi."

"I'm Emily," Emily says extending her hand for a handshake.

Alison stares at it confusedly for a second. She looks up at the other woman.

"A friend of mine suggested this place to me, said I wouldn't regret it. Looks like she was right. The moment I saw you walk through the door, I knew the only thing I _would_ regret would be not talking to the most beautiful woman here tonight," Emily explains.

Suddenly, it clicks for Alison.

 _Oh, Spencer_ , she thinks. Alison's eyes get watery, the significance of this moment not lost on her. She clears her throat before speaking.

"I'm Alison," she reaches forward and finally shakes Emily's hand. Emily beams at her as she settles herself more comfortably against the bar.

"So, where you from?"

As the two begin to make small talk, pretending to be strangers, pretending to be meeting for the first time, Alison realizes that the one thing that isn't pretend about tonight is that her friends have truly given her a second (third? fourth? fifth?) chance. And Alison swears she won't let it slip past her fingers this time.

She won't.


	7. emily & alison (4)

**"fetus emison. Emily finally tells Alison how she feels when Noel asks Alison on a date"**

 **Emily/Alison**

"Don't go," she says quietly. So quiet, Emily barely even hears herself.

"What?" Alison asks, as she stares at herself in the full-length mirror. She's got a date with Noel Kahn later tonight and while he's cute enough, it's his popularity Alison's after.

She's currently in her bedroom, while Spencer and Hanna are downstairs getting some food. Aria on her way over now to give her opinion on which outfit she should wear tonight.

She hears Emily say something from her place on her bean bag chair, but she doesn't quite catch it.

"Don't go," she says a bit louder, but still not by much.

Alison turns now, her eyebrows furrowed. "What?" she asks softly.

Emily swallows and finds the courage to look up from playing with her _Emily_ bracelet. She looks up at Alison, looks in her eyes - those eyes that can look as loving as they can devastating - and repeats herself one last time.

"Don't go," she pauses. "Please."

Alison narrows her eyes at the other girl. Emily never asks much of Alison, at least, not verbally. Her eyes and body language have always let Alison know exactly what Emily's feeling, but this - this is a _first_.

Alison looks back down and adjusts her dress once more.

"Give me one good reason," she says softly. She can't believe she's doing this, but if Emily's going to push, well then so is Alison.

The room goes quiet. Quiet enough that Alison can hear Spencer and Hanna's chatter as they climb up the stairs. Alison turns back around to look at herself in the mirror.

"Me," Emily softly whispers, just as the girls come crashing through the door.

"Oh, Ali that looks great!" Spencer says as she sits on the bed.

"Noel's going to be drooling the moment he sees you," Hanna says as she jumps onto the bed.

"Noel's not going to be seeing me," Alison replies.

"What?" Hanna asks confusedly.

"What do you mean?" Spencer asks as well.

Emily stays quiet, her head having snapped up the moment Alison responded.

"I changed my mind. I said yes way too quickly. If he wants this, he's going to have to work for it," Alison says as she begins to unzip her dress. "Always make them work for it. And when they do, make them work for it even more," she explains, as she reaches for her shorts and shirt.

"Are you sure?" Spencer asks.

"Let's do a sleepover tonight. I need my girls," Alison responds, now fully dressed again.

Hanna's eyes go wide, a smile taking over her face. "Yeah!"

"I'll call Aria and let her know," Spencer says, trying to hold back an excited smile. She exits the room, followed by Hanna who says she has to call her mom.

Alison turns toward Emily. A hopeful look on the other girl's face as she sits still.

Alison approaches the other girl and kneels before her.

"Why?" Emily asks.

"You're a good reason," Alison responds. Her heart is beating so fast and her hands are sweaty and she has _no idea_ why she's doing this - why she's cracking under the small amount of pressure Emily has placed on her.

It's not like there haven't been other more pressure-filled moments, the library, the kissing rock, the locker room, but here in this moment - Emily _asked_. She asked for something and Alison could never deny her Mermaid anything, not when she's done it like this.

Emily's blushing, a giant smile threatening to overtake her face. "Wha-What does this mean?" Emily asks, biting her lip.

The movement catches Alison's attention. She pulls back and stands back up to her full height - the proximity a risk she can't take right now.

"I don't know," Alison swallows.

Emily looks at her for another moment. The thundering of Spencer and Hanna's climb up the stairs reaches their ears.

"That's okay," Emily says with a soft smile.

Alison smiles back. Only one thought is running through her mind as the girls come in, jumping on the bed once more as Emily joins them,

 _Look at my mermaid. If she knew how much power she had…_


	8. emily & alison (5)

**"Can you do an emison prompt where Emily proposes to Alison after coming home from Haleb's wedding"**

 **Emily/Alison**

"That really was beautiful," Alison comments as she sits on their bed taking off her heels.

The two have just arrived from Hanna and Caleb's wedding reception and are ready to just go to sleep after the last few days of non-stop preparation.

"Totally worth it," Emily responds as she leans against their bureau while she too takes off her heels. "It was actually really sweet to see Mrs. Marin walk Hanna down the aisle."

"Yeah, she was crying all over her…" Alison trails off, her shoes off but still fully dressed.

Emily turns and deposits all her jewelry on the bureau as she hears Alison trail off. She looks at her girlfriend and raises an eyebrow. "You okay there, babe?"

Alison shakes her head, her eyes refocusing, "Yeah, sorry."

"What were you thinking?" Emily asks, as she pulls off her dress, leaving her in just her underwear.

"It's nothing," Alison responds as she moves to take off all her jewelry. "It was silly."

Emily moves to stand behind her girlfriend. They lock eyes through the mirror as Emily slowly unzips Alison dress. She moves Alison's hair to the side and places a tender kiss on her right shoulder. "I love silly. Tell me."

"I was just…" Alison pauses again. She looks down before she steps away from Emily's embrace. She slides her dress down her legs.

"Ali?"

"I don't have family."

"What?" Emily asks confused.

"If I were in Hanna's place," Alison begins to explain as she takes off her bra and reaches for one of Emily's giant t-shirts in their shared pajama drawer. She continues talking as she puts it on. "If I needed someone other than my dad to walk me down the aisle, because let's be real, it's not like my father would do it - nor would I want him to. Jason's out of the question. Charlotte's dead. My mom's dead. I… I have no one," Alison finishes as she grabs her hairbrush to fix her hair before heading to bed.

Emily stays quiet contemplating Alison's words. Alison notices Emily's silence as she puts down the hairbrush.

"Sorry. I'm being a drama queen, forget it," she moves over to Emily and gives her a brief kiss. "Come to bed," Alison says as she pulls away and heads over to her side.

Emily stays still though, her mind going a thousand miles a minute.

"Em?"

"Coming," Emily responds as she focuses back on Ali.

* * *

It's the following day and the two are making dinner. Or rather, are struggling to make dinner. Alison is a self-taught cook, but she's still in the basics, while Emily is terrible. The two are trying to get the hang of Pam Fields's Famous Popovers and Emily's already called Pam 4 times.

"So, my mom said something interesting in that last call," Emily begins as she leans against the counter, watching Alison work on the batter over the counter.

"Telling us we should order in is not interesting, Emily. It's embarrassing," Alison drily states. Emily laughs.

"No, no. It wasn't that," Emily corrects. "She talked about how she thinks she would actually enjoy walking me down the aisle when I get married," Emily says, forcing her voice to sound nonchalant.

Alison freezes. Bowl still in hand, she looks over to Emily. "What?"

"Yeah. I talked to my dad in that last call too and he said he'd be honored, you know if you're interested, to walk you down the aisle when you get married," Emily continues in that same tone of voice.

"Emily," Alison says, her voice tinged with emotion already. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about my parents, walking us down the aisle," Emily pauses and takes a deep breath before continuing. "When we get married."

Alison sets down the bowl. "Married?"

"Yes," Emily confirms. She reaches into her back pocket and pulls out a ring.

"Emily," Alison gasps.

Emily goes down on one knee. "You were wrong last night. So, so wrong and well, I couldn't wait much longer to correct you," she begins. "You do have family. You have Spencer, Aria, Hanna. And you have me. If you'll let me be, that is. Because I want to," Emily says, her voice now getting emotional. "I want to be your family and I want you to be mine. If you'll have me."

"Em," Alison says, as she blinks away tears.

"Will you marry me, Alison?"

"Yes," Alison replies, then laughs. "Yes! Yes! Of course!"

Emily laughs as Alison sticks her hand out toward her. Emily places the ring on her finger and then gets up. She kisses her and then proceeds to pick her up and twirl her around the kitchen. Alison's laughter filling her ears.

As she sets her down, Alison takes a better look at her ring. "God, Em. This must have cost you a fortune," she reproaches.

"Actually, it belonged to my grandmother."

Alison's eyes snap up. "What?"

"On my Mom's side. She gave it to my Mom when she passed away a few years ago. Told her to give it to me, that I should have it."

"Em..." Alison trails off looking at the ring again. "I can't take this."

"Yes, you can. It's a family heirloom and you're family," Emily reaffirms.

Alison looks at Emily and the two lock eyes. "I love you," Alison says as she pulls Emily into a deep kiss.

"I love you too," Emily says when she pulls back.

"Wait," Alison interrupts.

"What?"

"Have you been purposely messing up the popovers so you could have an excuse to call your mom?"

"Uh-"

"Emily!" Alison says, smacking her arm as the two start laughing.

Emily reaches over and pulls Alison into a hug. Alison closes her eyes as she lets herself feel safe, protected, and loved in the arms of - in the arms of her family.


	9. emily & alison (6)

**"Emily thinks Pepe is lonely and wants to get a new dog but is afraid Ali will say no"**

 **Emily/Alison**

"This is the third time you've come to visit him," a voice says above Emily. She sheepishly pulls away from the cage she was kneeling in front of, her fingers having slipped inside to play with the puppy's paws.

"Sorry," Emily says as she stands. "I'll go."

"Or, you could adopt him, you know?" says the pound employee. She's giving Emily a warm smile and coupled with her offer, Emily is more than tempted to just say yes.

"I-I can't. We already have one dog, and even though I think Pepe is lonely, he's already such a big responsibility."

"Third time," the woman repeats. "I think you've already made up your heart. And that little guy over there, he already has too," she says, gesturing toward the cage.

Emily glances back at the cage and sees the puppy looking at her. His little tail is wagging and his tongue is sticking out. He barks at Emily. Emily gives him a soft smile.

"Look, I'm not trying to be pushy, but I know owner love when I see it and you've already got it for that fella. I'm sure, Pepe was it? He'll appreciate the company and your boyfriend will have to understand."

"Girlfriend," Emily corrects automatically.

"Girlfriend," the woman corrects herself.

Emily bites her lip.

 _How angry could she get?_

* * *

"You thought I'd get angry?" Alison asks, her voice full of confusion, before she releases a soft giggle.

"Well, I thought you'd flat out say _no_ ," Emily says, her lips twitching into a smile as she looks at the sight in front of her.

Alison is lying flat on her back on their living room floor. Pepe is lying down on the floor next to her, nosing at her side. Their newest addition, Zeus, is on Alison chest licking at her face, while Ali giggles in response.

"Emily Fields, I thought you knew me better than that," Alison mockingly reproaches.

"I'm sorry," Emily loudly sighs, making Alison laugh.

"Come 'er and apologize," Alison says.

Emily laughs, but moves nonetheless to lay down on Alison's other side. She tucks her head into the space between the blonde's neck and shoulder and kisses her there softly. "Sorry."

"Good. Now, apologize to Zeus for keeping him in that pound for so long," she says as she picks up the puppy and moves to lay him on Emily. Emily turns onto her back and lets Alison place him on her chest. Once released from Alison's hands, he moves over to begin to lick at Emily's chin.

Alison giggles at the sight, "So cute." Suddenly, Pepe gets up from his spot and walks around to lay beside Emily's other side. "Pepe!" Alison calls out.

"Ha! Seems they love me better," Emily jokes.

"Whatever," Alison replies as she mimics Emily's earlier position and settles her head in the crook of Emily's neck. "I feed them."

"I take them for walks," Emily counters.

"Whatever," Alison huffs, making Emily laugh. The two go quiet then, as Zeus moves to settle on Emily's stomach. As he does, the four of them continue to lay there on the floor of their living room, with no rush to move or go anywhere. At least, not until one of the dogs has to poop.


	10. emily & alison (7)

**"Alison takes Emily on a date for her birthday"**

 **Emily/Alison**

"I wonder what the piece would say, if it could talk," Emily comments softly."You ever wonder what all this art would say, if it could talk?" she asks quietly as she stands staring at the sculpture. It's of a young girl - a dancer - by the artist Degas.

They've been standing in front of it for a while now, just quietly taking it in. Their hands are intertwined, as Alison's left arm is also wrapped around Emily's arm - her whole body leaning into the brunette.

"They've seen a lot," Alison replies. She's staring at this piece for what is probably the millionth time in her life. Here, at The Met, the two of them have spent the entire afternoon walking around, Alison guiding Emily to all of her favorite pieces. Now, standing in front of this one, one that Alison spent many afternoons during those two years away looking at, Alison feels self-conscious.

You see, it's Emily's birthday and the other girl had simply asked that her present be something _different_. Alison told no one what her gift would be, for fear that the other girls might call her self-indulgent. Because it's Emily's birthday and they're at a museum looking at Alison's favorite pieces of art. It probably wasn't her best idea, but Emily has yet to seem bored or unhappy with the whole thing.

In fact, she's been entirely focused, asking questions, and giving her interpretation of things in a way that surprised Alison. It's not that Ali buys into the jock persona Emily tends to project, she knows Emily is smart and educated, but this sort of genuine interest in something Ali would probably talk to Aria or Spencer about is quite new. Alison would be lying if she said she wasn't enjoying it.

"So have you," Emily responds. "You've seen a lot too."

"I used to wonder, you know," Alison says. "What it would be like to be a piece of art. Not a performance piece or a painting, but something like this. A sculpture. Something that was so close to being a real person and yet…" Alison trails off.

"You _are_ a real person, you know that - don't you?" Emily asks, still staring at the sculpture.

Alison shifts uncomfortably at Emily commenting so directly at what Alison was implying. She feels a bit of a blush on her cheeks at her, again _self-indulgent_ , thoughts - her comparisons of herself to a sculpture for Christ's sake.

Alison shakes her head. "You tired of this yet?" Ali asks.

"No. Are you?" Emily says, finally tearing her eyes away from the sculpture.

"No, I'm just impressed at how you've managed to appear so interested all afternoon at my shitty trip."

Emily furrows her brows. "Why wouldn't I be interested? I just got to spend my birthday learning about the girl of my dreams. How is that not a great gift?"

Alison's eyes widen. She let's out a chuckle at Emily's words - ignoring the warmth that has spread over her heart at the other woman's words. "We've just been looking at paintings."

"No, we've been looking at the paintings you used to look at when you were gone."

"Sometimes I feel like that was an entirely different person," Alison replies.

"Maybe it was."

Alison raises an eyebrow at that.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't sometimes think that there were multiple versions of you, Alison," Emily admits.

"The ones you like, the ones you love, and the ones you hate, huh?"

"Actually, if today is anything to go by, then my theory was right."

"What theory?"

"That they're _all_ the girl of my dreams," Emily replies. "No such thing as the ones I hate. They're all you - and I _love_ you."

Alison swallows at that. She's always a bit overwhelmed at Emily's declarations of love for her - always feeling like they're unearned, misguided, undeserved. But, Emily's right. The entire afternoon _has_ been about Alison sharing another side of herself with Emily and Emily has done nothing but take it all in. It doesn't just feel like love - it is.

"So, ready for the next one?" Alison asks, her voice still thick with emotion.

"Lead the way," Emily answers.

"I love you too, by the way."

"I know."


	11. hanna & caleb (2)

**"Caleb finds out that Hanna is pregnant"**

 **Caleb/Hanna**

"Worried?" Spencer asks, as she takes a seat next to Caleb on the latter's couch.

The whole group is together, a dinner organized by Hanna in order to tell them the news.

"What makes you say that?" he asks, looking up from his beer to stare at someone who has probably become his best friend in the last few years.

"Because your girlfriend is over there with everyone talking baby names, including Toby, and you're sitting here," Spencer points out.

Caleb looks over and sees Hanna surrounded by all the other girls, and Toby, in the kitchen of their small apartment.

 _It may be small, but it's home_ , he thinks.

"A little overwhelmed, but I'm good," he responds, giving Spencer a soft smile.

"I think it's normal," Spencer comments. "Maybe even healthy. The worry, it keeps you alert and making good decisions."

"Yeah, like deciding _not_ to abandon my kid in foster care. That's a good decision, right?" he responds, his tone sharper than he intended. Caleb sighs. "Sorry, Spence."

"It's normal to be worried, Caleb. But you have to remember one thing: you are not your parents. You're here, which means you're already better. Better than who your mom _was_ , who your dad _was_ , who Tom Marin _is_ ," Spencer says, distaste coloring her words at mentioning Hanna's absent father.

Caleb nods, taking in her words. It's a fear he's had since day one - that he'd be just like his parents. It's not that he's not excited - even if all this came way too early, just two years into living in NYC - but he's worried. He's worried that the pressure will crush him and he'll bail. He's always promised himself that he wouldn't, but still - the fear is there. The fear that no matter how hard he works at it, that might be who he is. It's in his DNA, after all.

"Quit doubting yourself," Spencer softly reprimands. "Essence of best boyfriend, remember?" she says, with a little smile.

Caleb returns it. "Yeah," he laughs, getting up. "Let's go. I need to go make some vetoes before my kid ends up named after some tortured 20s avant garde filmmaker."

Spencer laughs as the two walk over to rejoin the group.

* * *

It's a little while later, the whole group gathering their things to leave, when Alison DiLaurentis corners Caleb just outside the bathroom.

"When are you proposing?"

"Sorry?" Caleb asks sharply. It might have been a couple of years since everything went down, but Caleb still reacts whenever Alison talks to him in that tone of voice.

"It needs to be perfect. The location, the ring - everything. If you need ideas, let me know." She goes on, ignoring Caleb's reaction, "Hanna deserves this, okay?"

Caleb looks at her, sees the sincerity in her eyes, and nods.

"Yeah. I'll call you and Em."

"Good," Alison nods resolutely. "Also, I've already put some dresses on hold for her at a few boutiques, but they won't hold them off forever. So, don't take too long - you know she'll say yes - so that we can get started on that, okay?"

"Whatever you say, boss," Caleb mock salutes.

Alison narrows her eyes at him before her lips twitch into a smile. "And quit worrying. From what I can tell, you're already a better father than both yours and Hanna's combined. Hell, you're probably a better father than all of ours combined - except for Em's," she adds.

"I don't want to _just_ be better than them."

"You want to be the best."

"Yes."

"Well then, step one: _propose_."

* * *

"Did you send Spencer and Alison to talk to me?" Caleb asks as he sits on the couch, Hanna's feet on his lap.

"No, why? What did they say?"

"Just to stop worrying," Caleb answers.

"Oh."

"Aren't you? Worried, I mean?"

"Of course. But I have you, and the girls, and my mom. I'm worried yes, but somehow, after everything, I know that with you all by my side, I got this." She pauses. " _We_ got this."

"I love you."

Hanna's eyes water, "I love you too."

The two smile at each other, afraid, but ready to take on this new challenge.

Their moment is broken as Caleb's phone rings. He pulls it out of his pocket, looks at the caller id and smiles as he answers it.

Hanna makes a gesture asking who it is.

"Hey, Ashley."

Hanna rolls her eyes, a smile on her face, as she heads over to their bathroom to go take a shower. She knows firsthand that whenever her mom calls Caleb, it's for a lengthy talk.

"Hi Caleb. Just calling to see how you're doing with everything. Panicking yet?"

Caleb laughs.

"Yeah. Got any tips for me?"

"Plenty," Ashley Marin answers, and Caleb swears he hears her smile on the other side of the phone.


	12. emily & alison (8)

**"things you said when we were on top of the world"**

 **Emily/Alison**

" _Hmmm_ ," Emily hums.

Alison tries to hide her smile as she glances out the window into the endless sky. She's glad Emily was more than okay with letting her have the window seat, despite it being their first time flying out to Paris, because the view is definitely one of the best parts of this whole trip.

Blue skies and white clouds as far as the eye can see.

Alison glances to her left as she feels her girlfriend shift, and sees Emily looking for something in her backpack, headphones still on - still humming along to whatever song she has playing. She's been fidgety all day, and Alison can only assume it's due to the long flight. Still, Alison smiles and goes back to looking out the window.

Paris awaits them and even if she's anxious or nervous or whatever, she knows Emily is just as excited as she is.

* * *

She's not sure how much time has passed, when she hears Emily speak.

" _I've loved you against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be_ ," Emily swallows, her voice shaky.

Alison looks over to her, immediately recognizing the quote, when she notices what's in Emily's hands. Alison's eyes widen at the small jewelry box.

Emily finally looks up and locks eyes with Ali. "I've been trying to plan out the best moment to do this for months now, considering all of Spencer's and Hanna's and Aria's and even my Mom's plans and suggestions. But, I knew that I would do it the moment it felt right. And right now, here with you, on top of the whole world, it feels _right_. I love you, Alison Lauren DiLaurentis. I love you, against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be. And I hope, you feel the same way," Emily gives her a shaky smile. "Will you marry me?" she asks as she opens up the ring box.

Alison looks at the ring, looks at Emily and feels tears form in her eyes. "Yes," she whispers. Emily lets out a huge sigh of relief, causing Alison to laugh. She pulls the ring out and places it on Alison's finger. The two tenderly kiss after.

"Is this why you've been so fidgety all day?" Alison asks.

"Yeah, well," Emily blushes.

"Did you think I'd say no?" Alison asks, genuinely curious.

"No, but you only get one shot at this. I didn't want to mess it up and have our proposal story be awful," Emily's eyes widen. "It wasn't awful was it?"

Alison laughs. "It was perfect," she softly replies as she cuddles up to Emily.

"Anything I can get you ladies?" the flight attendant asks as she stops by their row.

"Champagne," Alison answers confidently. "I just got engaged to the love of my life."

Emily lets out a quiet chuckle as Alison shows off her ring.

 _Definitely perfect_ , Alison thinks.


	13. emily & alison ft OT5

**"Hanna helps Emily prepare for a date with Alison while Aria helps Ali"**

 **Emily/Alison + OT5**

"Hanna says to keep the skirt, but switch the shirt to the white one you bought last weekend."

Alison nods as she pulls the shirt over her head. As she turns to her closet, she freezes. She turns back toward her bed, dressed only in her skirt and bra, and puts her hands on her hips. She narrows her eyes.

"What?" Aria asks, her eyes shifting from side to side as she notices Alison's glare.

"Why is _Hanna_ giving me fashion advice?"

"Oh, because I just snapchatted her your outfit."

"Aria!" Alison whines.

"Don't worry, she didn't show Emily. She's just making sure the two of you don't wear things that clash," Aria explains.

"Is Emily wearing pants or a dress?"

"You're going to a fancy dinner."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"Alison," Aria sighs.

"Aria," Alison mocks in a more exaggerated tone.

Aria narrows her eyes. Alison looks away before she mutters an apology.

"Why are you so nervous about this?" Aria asks, genuinely interested in why the other girl is so off her game. After the Dollhouse and Charlotte, all the girls took about three weeks to get themselves back on track. Aria headed off to her internship in LA, Hanna and Caleb went apartment hunting in NYC, Spencer and her mother headed to see her soon-to-be college campus, Emily left for Texas, and Alison stayed in Rosewood to sort out her family.

When they all came back to enjoy the remainder of their summer before officially heading off to college, the girls were a bit surprised to see the dynamic between Emily and Alison. They were tentative and what Hanna dubbed "heart-eyeing" all over each other. Apparently, lengthy emails had been exchanged over those few weeks between the two, leaving them clearer on where they stood with each other - an apparent declaration of mutual feelings.

Still, it took some pushing from all the girls to get them to finally agree to go on this official date. So, if she's honest, Aria understands the jitters and nerves, but Alison's been in such a weird mood all day it's gotten a bit confusing.

"I'm only about to go out on a date with the love of my life, of course I shouldn't be nervous - _pssh_ ," Alison snarks back before her eyes widen at her admission. "I-I-…" she sighs.

"Oh, Ali," Aria says softly as she pats the spot next to her on the bed. Alison relents and moves to sit next to the other girl.

"Emily has all these expectations and I'm afraid I won't meet them - that I won't be as good as what she's always imagined," Alison softly confesses, opening up still being hard on her, but she knows that these are the moments that she _needs_ to try.

"I can assure you, the two of you could go play BINGO at the nursing home and Emily would still think it's the best date ever. She's waited so long - the both of you have."

"Exactly. Which is why it needs to be great - _no_ , perfect. It needs to be _perfect_ , Em deserves nothing less."

"And perfect it will be," a new voice adds.

The two girls snap their heads up to see Spencer at the door. She smiles. "I just talked to the entire restaurant staff - everything is taken care of."

Alison gives Spencer a grateful smile.

"Also, Hanna says to answer your damn phone, Aria. And that you should hurry up and finish getting dressed, Ali," Spencer mock scolds them both, as Aria scrambles to check her cell and Alison stands up and goes back to her closet.

As Alison pulls her new shirt over her head, she feels Spencer come stand next to her.

"Emily loves you."

"I know," Alison swallows.

"And you love her."

It's not a question, but Alison answers anyway, "Yes." She looks to her right and locks eyes with her - her sister.

"Okay," Spencer smiles.

"Okay."

* * *

"Spencer's got everything under control, promise."

"Yeah?" Emily asks as she fidgets with her hair one last time.

"Yes. Now, go. She's waiting for you," Hanna replies. A pause, before the girl continues, "An interesting role reversal, huh?"

Emily turns to face her best friend, "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

Hanna softly smiles. She knows that if she said no, Emily wouldn't hesitate to put a stop to this. She's always put her friends' happiness over her own, but now - now is the time for her to be selfish and for Hanna and Spencer and Aria to be supportive.

"If she breaks your heart, I'll break her face."

Emily smiles, "You said _if_."

"What?" Hanna asks briefly confused.

"You said _if_ , not _when_."

"Oh," Hanna rolls her eyes. She grabs one of Emily's pillows and chucks it at her. "Shut up and go, you sap."

"I love you too!" Emily says with a laugh as she begins to exit her bedroom.

Hanna laughs as she stands from Emily's bed. As she goes to walk over to the door, a picture on Emily's bulletin board catches her eye. It's a picture of all 5 of them, years ago. She unlocks her phone screen and take a snapchat of it. She writes briefly over it, before she sends it to Spencer and Aria.

 _That's immortality, my darlings_

Hanna walks out of the room, for the first time unafraid of the idea of forever.

And if Emily is yelling at her to hurry up from her car, and Spencer answers her with the new middle finger emoji, and Aria snapchats her a 10 second video of Alison's shoe meltdown that Hanna saves, well - well forever with these idiots might just not be enough after all.


	14. emily & alison (9)

**"Alison helps Hanna with shopping for baby clothes and Hanna tries to convince Alison to have a baby with Emily"**

 **Emily/Alison**

"What are your thoughts on babies?"

"I think that it's too late to get an abortion," Alison drily replies. "Ouch!" she yells as she feels something hard hit her back.

Alison turns, rubbing her back, to see Hanna's phone on the ground. She bends down to pick it up and looks up to see a glaring Hanna.

A very _pregnant_ , glaring Hanna taking a seat in this high-fashion maternity and baby clothes store that they find themselves in.

Alison walks over to her and hands the other blonde her phone.

In that moment, one of the store employees that's clearly looking to make a sale, comes by.

"Can we get you anything to drink, Miss?" he asks.

"I'm good," Hanna answers, still glaring at Ali.

As the employee walks away, Alison finally relents. "Sorry, that was rude," she sighs as she takes a seat next to Hanna.

 _Damn, these are comfortable_ , she thinks. "I'm sure you'll make a great mother," Alison says sincerely.

"I wasn't talking about my kid," Hanna rolls her eyes.

"Then whose baby are you talking about?" Alison asks confused.

"Yours!"

Alison raises an eyebrow at the other blonde's answer. "I wasn't aware I fucked anything with a dick recently," Alison sarcastically replies. She receives a hard slap in the arm for her troubles. "Ouch, Hanna! Stop hitting me!"

"Well then, stop making this a joke! I'm trying to have a real conversation with you!"

"A conversation about what?"

"Oh god, about you! And Emily! Having a baby!"

"I-"

"So help me, God -" Hanna cuts in before Alison can reply, "If you're about to make an Emily sex joke I will kill you."

"Okay, okay," Alison says, her hands up in a show of surrender.

A beat passes, as Alison spies their employee giving them another look.

"So?" Hanna asks quietly. "You guys have been married almost as long as Caleb and I have. What's the holdup?"

"You just want your kid to have a playmate," Alison jokes.

"Alison," Hanna sighs.

"Has Emily said anything to you?" she asks.

"No, but you know Emily loves kids. She's so great with Topher," Hanna comments, referring to Aria's young son. "And so are you, you know. That kid loves his weekends with Auntie Em and Auntie Al."

Alison looks down and fiddles with her wedding ring. It's not that she hasn't thought about it, in fact, ever since Aria had her son and she saw how great Emily was with him, she's had the idea of a baby in her mind. It's just that…

"You're afraid," Hanna says.

"Can you blame me?" Alison asks. "The DiLaurentises have a bad track record."

"The Fields don't," Hanna counters.

"Emily won't be the one carrying the baby, you know that as well as I do," Alison responds.

"I lied," Hanna says.

Alison looks up, confused at her statement.

"Emily has talked to me about kids. Or well, specifically about what my pregnancy has been like so far. She's got a bunch of pregnancy and baby books in her Kindle and while I know that collection started with Aria and grew because of me, I'm not self-centered enough to believe that all of Emily's questions are exclusively about _my_ morning sickness. You know what I mean?"

Alison's eyes widen at Hanna's confession. "Emily wants to have a baby."

"Not only that, she's already preparing for it," Hanna informs her.

Alison goes back to fiddling with her wedding ring.

"What do you want, Ali?" Hanna asks softly.

Alison swallows before she lets the truth she's been hiding slip out. "I want to be a mom," she feels a hand on her knee as she looks to her right to see Hanna smiling at her.

"Okay," she says. "Now, help me up. I'm starving."

Alison's brows furrow in confusion as she stands to help the other woman. "What about the new clothes you wanted to get?"

Hanna waves away her concern, "I already have enough."

"Wait. Was this shopping trip a trap?" Alison asks incredulously.

"Oh, get over it. Now, let's go before that creepy guy comes by again."

Alison shakes her head at her friend's ridiculousness. And well, Hanna may be ridiculous, but her intentions were noble and if Alison's honest? She's glad to have finally spoken the truth about her feelings out loud.

"Do you think they still have that supersize taco combo?" Hanna asks as they make their way to the food court.

Alison chuckles at her statement, feeling lighter than she has in a while. And if later she has to sit and watch Hanna devour some disgusting monstrosity right in front of her, she knows it's worth it when that night she receives a blinding smile as she's able to say the words she's wanted to say to Emily for so long.

 _I want us to be a family_


	15. spencer & toby ft emily & alison

**"Spoby and Emison double date"**

 **Emily/Alison + Spencer/Toby**

She's panting and her calves are burning, but she is _not_ giving up.

She turns to look to her left and sees Toby sweating so much, she's surprised he's not completely dehydrated yet.

They've been at this for _hours_.

Spencer grips her tennis racket tighter and bounces on her feet. "Come on, already! Quit stalling!" she yells out. There is no advantage in this game, so the next point is the match point - for both teams.

 _Sudden death_.

Which is what will probably happen to Toby if Alison doesn't hurry up and serve already. Seriously.

Alison narrows her eyes before she finally serves. It heads straight for Toby - _cheap shot_. He manages to hit it, but with no semblance of coordination - which, Spencer sighs - they really need to work on for when they do this again.

See, Spencer was sure that a physical activity would appeal the most for a double date idea. Both Toby and Emily exercise regularly and Alison and Spencer had grown up playing tennis at the club, so she thought it would be a perfect thing to do on a Saturday afternoon.

However, it turns out that while Toby may lift, he has no coordination whatsoever when it comes to actually playing the sport. Emily managed to pick it up quicker, but was still not great, which meant that this friendly game turned into a competition of sorts when it became clear it was a Spencer vs. Alison match.

The ball reaches Emily who hits it -

 _SMACK_

\- right into the net.

"Whoo-hoo! In your face DiLaurentis!" Spencer shouts, a shit-eating grin taking over her face as she goes to high five Toby for their win. He returns it halfheartedly with a smile as he passes by her quickly on his way to the water bottles on the side. Spencer shakes her head at him. He seriously should be more conditioned for this.

Spencer scrunches up her face when she realizes no response has come from the other side of the court. She turns and sees Emily pouring a bottle of water over her head, before handing it to Alison and redoing her ponytail.

"Sorry," Emily says to Alison.

"It's fine," Alison responds with a soft smile. "We'll get them next time," she says, as she leans forward to briefly kiss Emily.

Spencer can't help but look.

See, Emily and Alison have only been officially dating for the last few weeks and have been very private with their PDA, which Spencer suspects is mostly for the group's benefit. So, it's still a bit odd to see them acting like, well, like an actual couple.

Spencer smiles a bit as she sees them goofily smile at each other.

"Babe, help me stretch out my leg please," Toby calls over.

Spencer shakes her head and walks over to her boyfriend, but not before throwing out another taunt at her opponents, "Suck it, Alison!"

"Oh fuck off, Spencer!" is Alison's response and Spencer can't help but laugh when she realizes that this post **-A** new normal? It might just be okay.

Especially if she can get them to play Pictionary after they go eat.


	16. emily & alison (10)

**"Hanna has Emily paranoid bc it's her and Ali's third date and Hanna tells her the third date equals sex"**

 **Emily/Alison**

"I'm just saying."

"Hanna," Emily sighs. "We live on opposite sides of the country. We have Skype dates."

"Which is why…" Hanna counters, "Instead of hitting play on whatever is next on your Netflix queue you give her a little show. Skype or no Skype, this _is_ your third date with her."

"I am _not_ giving Alison a webcam striptease," Emily emphatically states, as she cleans up her bedroom. It may be a date through a computer, but Emily still feels as though her room shouldn't look like shit.

"Whatever," Hanna huffs, her voice sounding funny through Emily's speaker.

"Thank you for the advice, Hanna," Emily genuinely responds, because despite not planning on taking her best friend's advice, Emily does appreciate the fact that Hanna takes the time to call her on the days she has dates with Alison to make sure Emily is doing okay. "I'm not doing it, but thanks. Now, tell me about those new sunglasses you posted on Instagram."

* * *

She's nervous. She doesn't know why, but holy hell is she nervous.

 _Friggin' Hanna,_ she thinks. It's 5 minutes until Alison is supposed to call her and all Emily can think about is how this _is_ their third official date and how _maybe_ Hanna had a point? Will Alison be expecting something like that from her? What is Alison even used to?

Before Emily can even think anymore, her computer suddenly chimes and Alison's picture pops on her screen. Emily swallows and answers the call.

"H-hey," Emily's voice squeaks. _Great_.

"What's wrong?" It takes Alison absolutely zero seconds to figure something's up and she narrows her eyes through the screen.

Emily sighs and blushes, because she knows she has to explain.

"I talked to Hanna earlier."

"Like you always do," Alison responds, a teasing smile on her face.

"What? Like you didn't call Spencer?" Emily responds. Alison just laughs and shrugs at her. Emily loves the sound, loves the image, loves knowing that the other girl is just as nervous as she is and that she has friends there for her too.

"So, you called Hanna…" Alison trials off encouragingly.

"So, I called Hanna and she mentioned that this was technically our third date," Emily pauses, hoping that the silence is able to convey her meaning.

Alison quirks an eyebrow, before a mischievous look takes over her face, "I suppose it is."

"Ali," Emily whines, not caring how pathetic it makes her sound.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Alison laughs. "But let me guess, webcam striptease?"

Emily covers her blushing face, making yet another whining sound.

Alison laughs again, before speaking, "Don't worry, babe. I'm not going to make you do anything you don't feel comfortable with."

Emily stops covering her face and sees the genuine look on Alison's face, even through a computer screen. Emily feels a different type of warmth spread through her chest, the kind that feels a lot like love, which is what prompts her to ask her next question, "Is that something you would want?"

"Ask me again for date number 5."

" _Alison_."


	17. emily & alison (11)

**"Hanna giving birth to her daughter has Alison wanting to have kids but she doesn't think Emily is ready"**

 **Emily/Alison**

"She's so little," Alison whispers, as she cradles the bundle in her arms.

"She is," Emily whispers back, looking at the sleeping baby girl over Ali's shoulder. Emily glances back over to the hospital bed and sees a sleeping Hanna. Caleb himself is also asleep, hunched over from his place on the chair beside the bed, his head resting by Hanna's hip. Their hands intertwined.

Emily smiles at the sight. The two of them exhausted after the 7 hours Hanna spent in labor.

A small gurgle is heard, followed by a soft _Oh_. Emily turns back to look and sees Alison readjusting the baby in her arms.

"She's so little," Alison repeats, almost in a daze. Emily quietly laughs and wraps her arms around the blonde's waist, resting her chin on the other girl's shoulder.

"She is," Emily repeats.

The two of them are the only ones left at the hospital with the new mother and father. Ashley Marin had spent all 7 hours alongside them and had only just left an hour ago to go home and sleep. Caleb's father is visiting the next day, while his mother apparently has plans to come out to the East Coast once the Rivers are settled in their home.

No word on Hanna's father, and although Emily is sure it still hurts Hanna to feel the rejection, she knows the new mother is more than happy with their own little family.

Spencer and Toby, who spent all 7 hours in the waiting room, the high school couple no longer together, but still there for their best friends.

Aria who flew in and made it just in time to be there when the baby was officially born.

And Emily and Alison whose flight got delayed and only got here an hour ago, half of which has been spent in silence as Alison stares at the baby and the two parents sleep.

Emily smiles and briefly contemplates the world they live in now, where Hanna and Caleb are comfortable enough to fall asleep while their child is in Alison Fields's hands.

Emily glances at the hospital bassinet and smiles at the label, identifying the baby as Ashley Rivers. A fitting name, if there ever was one.

Alison sighs, as she turns and finally hands Emily the baby, giving her the opportunity to hold her soon-to-be goddaughter for the first time.

Emily nervously laughs as she settles the baby, "Woah, you weren't kidding about her being small."

"I want one," Alison quietly states.

"Yeah?" Emily asks, her eyes not moving from baby Ash.

"Maybe more than one."

"Okay," Emily answers.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"You should name her Hanna," a sleepy voice states from across the room, causing both women to turn and see a still half-asleep Hanna readjust herself on the bed.

"What if it's a boy?" Alison cheekily asks.

"Caleb. Now shush," Caleb answers gruffly, as he too readjust his head on the bed.

Emily bites her lip to contain her laugh as she looks over to see Alison's beaming smile.

She looks back down toward the baby and sees two eyes open and staring right at her.

"Yeah," Emily says. "We should definitely have one."

A beat passes.

"Or more."


	18. emily & alison (12)

**AN: This is the last of it, folks! That's all my old tumblr fics here. There's only one more one-shot left and we are done. I hope you guys enjoyed them as much as I enjoyed rediscovering them :) I won't rule out writing more in the future, but this series is done. Thanks for all the lovely reviews, favorites, and follows xx**

* * *

 **"Spencer and Alison are getting closer which makes Emily jealous and wanting more time to spend with Ali"**

 **Emily/Alison**

"I'm just saying, we only have a couple of weeks left before we all head off to college and well -"

"You're pissed Ali's spending all this time with Spencer instead of you?" Hanna smirks, as she finishes setting up the snacks in her living room for their movie night.

"I'm not pissed," Emily sighs.

"Sorry, jealous," Hanna mock corrects.

Emily glares at her before Hanna sighs and continues, "Look they're getting their sisterly bonding thing going on, which is a good thing. They both already have crazy sisters, they need someone sane-ish in their corners - is all I'm saying. And in the meantime you get to spend time with me, so I don't see what the problem is."

Emily gives Hanna a soft smile, "You're right. I'm sorry, Han. Here we are having a movie night and all I can do is complain about missing my- " Emily chokes off.

Hanna quirks an eyebrow at her, "You can say girlfriend, you know. I'm not going to combust."

"No, it's just that I just realized we never actually labeled this," Emily trails off. She shakes her head before realizing she's doing it again, getting lost in her Ali thoughts instead of enjoying her last few weeks with her best friend. "It's nothing, let's get this show on the road. Hit play."

Hanna smiles at her before doing as she's told and then cuddling up to Emily as the horror movie Emily's chosen starts up.

"Remind me to tell you how much I hate you after this is all over."

Emily laughs.

* * *

By the time the third movie is halfway through, Hanna is fast asleep on the couch, her head in Emily's lap.

Emily feels her phone vibrating on the coffee table, so she slowly reaches for it and smiles as she sees the name on the screen.

 **Alison DiLaurentis**

"Hey," Emily answers as her fingers comb through Hanna's hair. Some gruesome death taking place on the television screen.

"What on earth are you watching?" Alison asks, the noise audible through the phone.

"One of the ones you hate," Emily teases.

"Good thing you have Hanna there, then."

"Hanna's asleep."

Alison laughs at Emily's comment and the sound makes Emily's chest warm.

"How are you? What's up?" Emily asks.

"Tired. Horseback riding is fun, but _oh so_ tiring. Spencer's out like a light already."

Emily smiles and realizes that Hanna's right. They're lucky to have the friends they do, because Ali hates gory movies and Emily is terrified of horses, but they both still get to enjoy the stuff they do even if it's not with each other.

"Em?" Alison asks, which is when Emily realizes she's zoned out.

"Sorry. What were you saying?"

"Just making sure we're still on for our date tomorrow," Alison says.

"Yeah, we are," Emily confirms.

"Good," Ali responds with a yawn.

Emily reaches over for the remote, without jostling Hanna, and lowers the volume on the television.

"Can-can you do something for me?" Alison asks, her voice quieter than it was before.

"Anything."

"Stay on the phone 'till I fall asleep?"

"Of course," Emily responds.

And as Emily continues to stroke her fingers through Hanna's hair and Alison's breathing evens out over the phone, Emily knows she wouldn't want to be any other place in the world.


End file.
